Standoff suspect to plead guilty

HAMPTON FALLS — A man facing 13 charges in connection with car break-ins and a lengthy armed standoff with police has agreed to plead guilty to the crimes.

Kyle Stucker

HAMPTON FALLS — A man facing 13 charges in connection with car break-ins and a lengthy armed standoff with police has agreed to plead guilty to the crimes.

Daren Gragg, 37, who is currently being held on $10,000 cash bail in state prison in Concord, is scheduled to enter his plea in Rockingham Superior Court at 9 a.m. Aug. 26.

Terms of the deal aren't yet public, although court staff said Gragg will plead guilty to six counts of felon in possession of a dangerous weapon as well as burglary, falsifying physical evidence and other charges.

The charges stem from an incident that started with a suspicious vehicle call at an Amesbury, Mass., gas station at about 7:30 a.m. Jan. 14.

Police have said Gragg and Melissa Amato, 31, were allegedly sleeping in a vehicle that contained stolen items. Officers responded and the couple allegedly fled after giving false identification, police have said.

Police later discovered the couple's car outside their Hampton Falls apartment. When officers from a number of agencies arrived at the apartment, the suspects allegedly broke into their neighbor's apartment.

Gragg and Amato allegedly barricaded themselves inside that unit for eight hours before surrendering without incident, according to police.

Police have said that when Gragg was arrested, he was allegedly found in possession of a crossbow, a .45 Stars Interarms handgun, a stiletto knife, a dagger, curved metallic knuckles and a switchblade.

In addition to pleading guilty to the Jan. 14 crimes, court staff said Gragg will plead guilty on Aug. 26 to charges out of Londonderry and Seabrook.

Gragg faces drug, false impersonation and identity fraud charges in connection with a 2011 incident in Londonderry. He faces burglary, theft by unauthorized taking, theft by deception and criminal mischief charges out of Seabrook.

Amato was sentenced July 15 to one to three years in state prison after pleading guilty to two counts of receiving stolen property and one count each of burglary and falsifying physical evidence in connection with the Jan. 14 incident.

She also pleaded guilty July 15 to two counts of theft by deception in connection with a Dec. 30 incident in Seabrook. She was sentenced to two concurrent 12-month county jail sentences on those charges.

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